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EFFECTS OF DISTURBANCE ON EPIPHYTIC COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE 1
Author(s) -
Luttenton Mark R.,
Rada Ronald G.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.1529-8817.1986.tb00030.x
Subject(s) - cladophora , disturbance (geology) , biology , epiphyte , periphyton , colonization , ecology , community structure , algae , paleontology
Microdistributional patterns of attached algal communities on Cladophora and glass slides were compared under varying disturbance regimes in the Upper Mississippi River, using light and scanning electron microscopy. Localized physical disturbance, induced by boat traffic and wind‐generated wave action in the main channel, inhibited development of complex attached algal communities and maintained an adnate flora with two‐dimensional architecture. In contrast, communities protected from disturbance developed a more complex, three‐dimensional architecture. A high degree of architectural similarity was observed between communities on Cladophora and glass substrates exposed to similar levels of disturbance. Communities exposed to severe disturbance resembled ones in early stages of colonization and development, whereas less disturbed communities were similar to ones in advanced stages of development. These results demonstrated that turbulence strongly influences the community structure of periphyton on both micro and macro scale levels.